Son of farmer who attempted suicide refuses Maharashtra government assistance

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The Maharashtra government has offered an assistance of Rs 15 lakh to an 84-year-old farmer, who is in a serious condition after allegedly trying to commit suicide here, but his son has refused to accept the succour. State energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule had announced the assistance to Dharma Patil, after he tried to end his life at the secretariat in Mumbai as he was upset over inadequate compensation granted for his land acquired for a thermal plant project.

Dharma Patil, from Sindakhedraja town in Buldhana district, came to the Mantralaya (secretariat) on Monday to follow up on his request for higher remuneration from the state government for the acquisition of his land for a thermal plant project. He later allegedly consumed poison inside the secretariat premises, following which the police rushed him to St. George Hospital in south Mumbai. His son Narendra Patil today said: "I have been told that the state government has offered Rs 15 lakh as financial assistance to my family."

"I refuse to accept it because my father is not begging for money. All we want is parity in the land acquisition procedure as our neighbour got a much higher remuneration compared to us," he said. "If the state can pay a higher amount to our neighbour for acquiring his land, then how can it offer a lower amount to us. Both the pieces of land are located next to each other, then why such disparity," he asked.

The farmer's son yesterday said his father got only Rs four lakh compensation for his five-acre land and claimed that their neighbour received "Rs 1.89 crore for two acres of land." He said his father had been visiting the state administrative headquarters here for the past three months to complain about the inadequate compensation for his land. Yesterday, Dharma Patil was shifted to the J J Hospital for further treatment. The hospital's medical officer said the farmer's condition was still serious. He is over 80 years of age and suffers from other ailments, hence is taking time to recover, the officer added.

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